New York: Oxford University Press, 2022. 264 pp. $99. Published in the Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2023. Hughes, a professor of religious studies at the University of Rochester, views the genesis of Islam through a religious studies lens. He characterizes Islam's "quest for normativity" in its...
The Church of England has been asked to respond to requests from clergy to use gender-neutral pronouns for God. The question has been referred to the Church of England’s Liturgical Commission. This would be a major variation from the Book of Common Prayer, a foundational text...
by Robert Spencer. New York: Bombardier Books, 2021. 548 pp. $45. Published in the Middle East Quarterly, Spring 2023. The Qur'an is not an easy read, even in translation: its chapters are out of order, and its contents often obscure; verses do not follow logically one...
In the lead-up to the recent Victorian election, Premier Daniel Andrews announced grants of more than $8 million to the Victorian Islamic community. A social media video posted by his office celebrated this news in a way that can only be described as joyful. In the...
Last week’s resignation of Andrew Thorburn from his newly acquired role as CEO of Essendon Football Club raises deep concerns about the ability of Christians to serve in high-profile positions in business and government. Thorburn’s resignation came after the club became aware that City on a...
The following is an edited version of a ‘Political Animals’Podcast with Jonathan Cole Cole: Welcome to the Political Animals. I am your host, Jonathan Cole. I am an academic writer and translator, specializing in Political Theology, the intersection between religion and politics. Joining me in this episode...
This article was published in the Middle East Quarterly, 29(3): 1-8. An underestimated, unappreciated, and oft-denied driver of the Arab-Israeli conflict is Islamic religious antisemitism. How deeply entrenched is this religious bigotry, and can it prevent, or slow down, the nascent reconciliation between Israel and the...
In an episode of the Political Animals Podcast Jonathan Cole talks to Mark Durie. They explore the theological relationship between Christianity (and Judaism) and Islam, with a particular focus on explaining the large presence of Biblical material in the Qur'an and whether this constitutes theological...